Grey’s Anatomy Season 23, Episode 3, “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right,” explores how unexpected conflicts and complications can change a character’s path. This episode, written by Kase Mies-Perez and directed by Debbie Allen, has a standout performance from Alexis Floyd. Seriously, I’m going to be thinking about her turn in “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right” for a long time.
I’m also drawn into Chris Carmack’s performance as Link clearly struggles with pain and a dependency on pain medication. There are moments when he’s in frame, like at Ken’s bedside, where he’s favoring that side that make more obvious moments like the one in the episode’s final minutes come together nicely. I appreciate that the season isn’t rushing this story.
Likewise, “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right” also dials up tension between Webber and Norton with Blue right in between them. This VIP floor is an obvious strain on staff and resources, but, of course, it can’t dissolve overnight. It’s actually smart for Grey’s Anatomy to fold Blue into this story because it exasperates Webber’s frustration with it all. Blue is back in the OR far too soon, and Webber gave Norton the job that allows him to make those decisions. It’s complex and thorny, and Grey’s Anatomy tends to thrive in that space.
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Simone Needs the Support of Jules and Jo
If memory serves, the last time that a main character had an abortion on Grey’s Anatomy was Cristina in Season 8 because she didn’t want children and April in Season 11 because Samuel had a fatal disease. I still remember how big of a deal it was in 2011. It was practical and never a moral debate for Cristina.
It was a milestone moment in TV history, and Grey’s Anatomy has had a number of those in its 23 seasons and 21 years on TV. So, I knew that this season wouldn’t just skip past Simone’s abortion, but I couldn’t have guessed that it would go where it does. Then again, this show has been on for two decades. It is going to tell different stories around different medical procedures.
It did with Cristina and April and now Simone. Her perceived viable pregnancy was actually a molar pregnancy that’s causing her to turn septic after the medication abortion. She needs a life-saving D&C, but the anesthesia required understandably causes Simone to panic about the possible complications. Alexis Floyd’s performance as the fear sinks into Simone’s bones is more than moving. It’s raw and honest and met by incredible work from Adelaide Kane and Camilla Luddington. Jules is so present for her friend throughout the episode. Meanwhile, Jo is triggered and trying to bottle that up to help Simone.
But Jo can’t and shouldn’t do that forever. She has to let it out and be honest about what she’s feeling. It’s important that Jo takes a beat to say, “I’m really good at this,” because she is. No one else would have been better for Simone in that moment than Addison Forbes Montgomery. Even then, Jo has the painfully recent experience to meet Simone where she’s at about needing to know what’s happening to her. I don’t know what Jo’s future at Grey Sloan Memorial looks like, and I maintain that it’s best for Grey’s Anatomy to take its time in exploring that. Because it creates episodes like “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right.”
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One Person’s Best Isn’t Everyone’s Perfect
I’m honestly a bit surprised that it’s taken until “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right” for the tension to arise between how Bailey did the job and how Winston is doing it now. It just felt like something that would always happen because, like Jo, Bailey is good at her job. But so is Winston. Relatedly, this season could show how Winston is (or isn’t) juggling all the work he’s doing a bit more. The show hasn’t really felt the loss of Teddy and Owen as much as it should by now. Their absence shouldn’t only be felt during emergencies like the season-opening one. There are day-to-day disruptions that Winston is clearly shouldering off-screen.
Alternatively, “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right” does a far better job with this theme with Amelia and Lucas. Grey’s Anatomy has a goldmine in the Shepherd/Adams family that it doesn’t utilize enough. For example, it’s a shame that Lucas is moving out when the show spent so few scenes with Amelia, Lucas, and Scout at home. Scenes like that — before the opening of this episode — would elevate the tension they have in the hospital. It’s such a strong dynamic that I’m desperate for Grey’s Anatomy to lean into it more.
Amelia Shepherd, the black sheep of her family who existed in Derek’s shadow, defied expectations, and found her own path, should understand that Lucas wants to find his, too. As someone who has watched her arc since Private Practice, I was waiting for Amelia to come to this conclusion herself during the episode. She does, but it takes time because there’s been so much time since she found Addy in Los Angeles. Amelia has come so far. She’s a freaking superhero who tackles impossible cases, but it took her time to get there.
So, Lucas is right to tell her, “My way isn’t wrong or defective just because it isn’t yours.” My favorite thing is that Amelia understands she needs that reminder. I can see a version of Amelia who reacted differently to Lucas saying that to her, and I think that’s the luxury of watching this character grow over 15 years.
It’s also the exciting part about Lucas, being determined to find his own path — not his mom’s, his aunts’, or his uncle’s. His. If neurosurgery is his specialty, I look forward to seeing what he does with it. I have a feeling we’ll be looking back on “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right” as a defining episode for him and an impressive benchmark for Amelia.
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Other Thoughts:
- Lucas telling Scout that babies come from baby spray like Spider-Man’s webs is so cool uncle coded of him.
- I audibly gasped at the sight of Luna. I didn’t realize how much she’s grown!
- Wes bringing Simone tea and sitting by her beside really has me rooting for them.
- The residents having a group scene is something I wish we had more often!
- The Dolly Parton tribute in this episode warmed my heart.
- I, too, would like to pet puppies as a research program, Jules.
- Norton and Blue singing Lloyd’s jingle during surgery shouldn’t have made me giggle, but it did.
- Harrison not being able to settle on his favorite Dolly Parton song is deeply relatable.
- “Now I’m an accomplished surgeon, and your mom and aunts still treat me like I can’t do anything right” stopped me in my tracks.
- But so did the Derek mention(s).
- Link’s surgery was so impressive!
- “Because I am an expert in you, Miranda Bailey.” They really are the best.
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